Second Chances
by Tyytyys Yaoi
Summary: What was once lost is possible to obtain again, with the right amount of luck and heartfelt dedication. True love always finds a way. Levi x Eren


**Second Chances**

**.**

They were best friends. Had been close all their lives, forming a bond over the years that was unbreakable. Or so they thought.

The two of them were polar opposites really—Levi being the quiet, reserved one while Eren was sociable and always happy… unless Levi had something to do with how he felt.

It wasn't that Levi ever tried to dampen Eren's good moods. It was always that Eren—whom had a habit of doing things without thinking them through—always did one thing or another that he feared would piss Levi off. And many times that was just what happened. Eren was always scared of offending him, of having his ass kicked, of losing Levi as a friend. But somehow, Levi was always calm and considerate with him.

There was a mutual understanding between them that neither of them spoke of nor questioned. Eren had both his parents and a sister who'd been adopted into the family. But Levi truly only had himself. He lived with his uncle but the man was an alcoholic and rarely showed up at home. They were only sixteen, but Levi already worked a job to take care of himself and Eren respected him more than anyone and he stayed with Levi more than he stayed home.

This had been ongoing for years but more often since they'd started high school. There were days when they barely spoke a word to each other, but they were still together. Cleaning. Doing homework. Watching tv. And they were both content just doing those minor things in each other's company. This was them, this was how things always were until the day everything changed for them.

They were at school on the patio during lunch when it happened. They were sitting alone together as usual. Eren was going on endlessly about how stupid their current history assignment was and Levi was listening quietly while eating a sandwich. Then Eren's rambling was cut short as one of their classmates approached. Marco. There was a hint of a blush on his cheeks and a nervous air about him as he asked Eren if he could talk to him.

Though he hesitated, Eren followed him out of Levi's earshot and Levi watched them out of the corner of his eye, his curiosity piqued at the way Marco looked as he spoke to Eren. So anxious and noticeably flushed. Levi's eyes narrowed in suspicion before he looked away, going back to eating his sandwich.

A few moments passed before Eren returned to where he'd been sitting across from Levi—a look of uncertainty on his face. But Levi also noticed he was flustered and almost… flattered. For some reason, Levi didn't like that look.

"What did he want?" He asked before he could think better of it.

Eren's face went red and he averted his eyes, looking nervous. "He just asked me to go out with him."

Levi took in those words, his face remaining stoic though he was completely surprised. That was when Levi realized that Eren was attracted to guys—and it made him angry. It made him so angry because deep down, Levi has always had this strange attraction to Eren, but he'd denied it for as long as he could remember. And as far as he knew, Eren had never showed any interest in him aside from being his friend.

"What did you say?" Levi asked quietly after a long moment and Eren watched him carefully.

"Well… I know it took a lot for him to ask me that… so I agreed to go on a date with him." He admitted, turquoise eyes studying Levi. "Should I… should I have turned him down?"

Levi got up from his seat, gathering his trash as calmly as he could. "It's got nothing to do with me." He muttered, not understanding the burning fury he felt, or the ache in his heart.

Because it seemed there was nothing else he could do, Levi just walked away. That was when their friendship became less profound, almost nonexistent. Eren went on that first date with Marco and then another. After a few weeks they were always together and it made Levi sick on his stomach. Every time he saw Eren smiling because of Marco, he had to get away. All of Eren's time was being devoted to Marco, so he no longer had time to be with Levi. They barely talked at school, and Eren never came to his house anymore.

For the longest time, Eren had been the only thing to keep Levi from being lonely. He had nobody else… but he knew that he was to blame for losing him because he never showed his appreciation. He never even knew how much Eren meant to him until he was no longer glued to his side.

Levi realized all the times—even in the silence—that his eyes would wander to his best friend and admire whatever silly expression was on his face. All the times Eren would do something and without noticing, have Levi smiling softly. All the times that Eren would hug him excitedly, out of nowhere, and Levi's heart would beat a little faster.

After a couple months without him, he'd come to recognize the fact that Eren meant a lot to him. More than anything really. He was precious and irreplaceable but now he was gone. Somebody had stepped up, eager to make him happy—and he was. He always seemed happy when Levi passed those two in the hallways at school. He always seemed happy on the patio during lunch. They would hold onto each other as if neither of them ever wanted to let go.

Levi hated it.

As much as he disliked the entire situation though, Levi would never do anything to diminish the happiness that Eren had attained. He wanted him to be happy… but that didn't mean he could force himself to be happy about the way that Eren had become this way. Levi couldn't accept it, nor could he let it go.

When he had people show an interest in him, he almost caved in with the urge to forget and move on with his life… but he was never able to go through with it. Eren was always on his mind. Always…

It was difficult and Levi was miserable. He was lonely and he missed Eren more than he cares to admit even to himself. A few months without him felt like a lifetime. It hurt… it really hurt to think that Eren had been so close to him and then one day, he just forgot about him completely.

On one particular night, Levi was sitting on his bed with his knees raised to his chest and his forehead resting on them. It was Saturday and there was nothing better for him to do. He wanted to just sleep, but he'd already slept as much as he could so now he was miserably awake.

The only interesting part of his day had been the fight he'd gotten into with his drunken uncle who'd woken him up. It was nothing unusual, heated words that turned into an all out brawl. It wasn't the first time and Levi ended up less wounded than usual, but his lip had been busted and his left eye was swollen shut. There was also a deep gash on his hip from being slammed into the corner of his dresser, but he was fine and his uncle was passed out somewhere now.

So Levi was surprised when his bedroom door slowly opened, having not expected him to wake up and come back at him. He thought maybe if he didn't react, if he just kept still and quiet that this time, he would just go away, but then relief and surprise flooded him at the voice that he heard.

"Levi?"

_Eren? _Levi's eyes widened but he didn't move otherwise. His heart raced at the unexpected visit. There was so much he wanted to say but he couldn't find any words. All he did was wrap his arms tighter around his legs and resist the urge to bite down on his trembling busted bottom lip.

"Um… I've been looking for my hoodie and figured I must have left it here… have you seen it?"

Jaw tensing, Levi breathed in deeply through his nose and closed his eyes. "Closet." He whispered, not taking too well to how disheartening it was to have Eren stop by just to get something.

Of course he hadn't come just to see him… why would he?

"Hey… are you okay?" Eren asked after a moment of silence and Levi could tell by the soft tone of his voice that he was legitimately concerned.

He wasn't okay. Not at all. But Levi didn't want Eren worrying about him. "Yes." He answered quietly but he was shaking and even worse, his throat was aching, burning—and his eyes were threatening to water up. He didn't understand why he felt this way.

"Levi…" Eren was suddenly close, kneeling on the bed and Levi stiffened when his hand rested on his arm. "You're shaking."

"I'm fine… I'm fine." Levi whispered the lie, trying to assure himself that it was the truth, but it was far from it.

"Then look at me!" Eren huffed, grabbing Levi's head and forcing it up which caused a hiss to pull through his teeth, from Eren's thumb having touched his injured eye.

Brushing him off, Levi quickly turned his face away from Eren who'd gasped at the sight of him. "I said I'm fine."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Eren asked, voice laced with anger. "You don't have to pretend in front of me."

"Why are you even talking to me? You only came to get your hoodie, so get it and leave me." He barked, burying his face in his arms that wrapped around his knees.

Eren frowned worriedly and stared at Levi for a long time. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Levi."

Levi didn't know what Eren was apologizing for but as Eren grabbed his hoodie and hurried out of his room, Levi choked on a sob. His hand fisted his shirt over his heart and he cried, for the first time in as long as he could remember, he didn't hold back the emotions begging to be expressed any longer. That encounter proved that Eren was happy without Levi in his life, and Levi knew that he had to forget about his once best friend.

So over the course of the next couple years, Levi subjected himself to many different experiences in hopes of letting go of his past. He started talking more, getting to know other people mainly in a physical sense. There were many, most not recurring. In his senior year, he took to alcohol—something he'd swore he'd never do after living with his uncle. He'd gotten a job and ended up moving in with a couple guys he'd made friends with. All they did was live day by day, getting wasted and he never found happiness. He didn't even know what it felt like to be happy.

Eren was another story. He'd stayed with Marco all throughout high school and he always seemed so happy. Levi was still surprised that they'd lasted so long… that Eren would drop him for such a soft guy. No matter how much time passed, Levi still hated it.

Then the news of the two getting engaged reached his ears and Levi was disgusted. It was more himself that made him sick than the fact that Eren was still so happily infatuated with that nobody. Because he couldn't accept that after all this time… he still couldn't let Eren go. He'd regretted everyday not recognizing his feelings for Eren—not making him his. As far as he was concerned, Eren should have belonged to him.

It was on the night that Eren and Marco were separately celebrating their bachelorhood before they'd get married that Levi decided to confront the guy who'd meant so much to him. It had been years since they'd even laid eyes on each other, but Levi didn't care. He followed Eren and his friends to the bar they partied at, and drank continuously. Then he followed Eren to the hotel he was staying at and all the way up to his room.

Levi stared at the beige door for a long, long time. He was having second thoughts, even in his drunken stupor, but he knew if he didn't face him now, he'd never have another chance. So he knocked on the door and waited.

It was a couple minutes before the door opened slightly and a still damp Eren stood there in a robe with wide eyes. "Levi?" He quipped in surprise, blinking several times as he looked over him.

Levi pushed the door further open, forcing Eren to take a few steps back and then he closed the door behind him, staring up into those ever-expressive eyes that he never could forget. Eren has really grown since they weren't friends anymore. He'd gotten so tall and he was more handsome than cute now.

"L-Levi… what are you doing here?" Eren asked quietly as Levi backed him up against the wall. "Levi, you're drunk. What are you doing?"

"Let's fuck… just once before you marry that bitch." Levi grumbled as he pressed Eren against the wall and proceeded to lay his hand over his neck.

The look of shock and uncertainty on Eren's face didn't deter Levi from trailing his hand down his chest, exposed from the robe he wore.

"What… Levi… no." Eren squeezes his eyes shut and stifled a moan when Levi's fingers brushed across his nipple. "Why…"

"Because… it should have been me." Levi breathed, trailing his hand down further and humming in approval when Eren pulled in a shaky breath that was preceded by a gasp when Levi firmly pressed his fingers down around his member.

"Ah, no!" Eren shrieked and shoved Levi off of him, a look mixed with sadness and anger on his face. "It should have been you?! How can you even say that to me?! You shouldn't have come here!"

"Don't you fucking yell at me!" Levi seethed and clenched his fists at his sides. "Can you really say that it doesn't bother you that you just fucking dropped me. We were together every day for nearly all our lives and then you just… you just fucking forgot about me!"

"I thought it was for the best. Because… because I loved you but I knew you didn't feel the same way." Eren's voice trembled with his admission and Levi stared at the floor. "I had to let you go… and Marco is a great guy. But he knew how I felt and… so I couldn't be with you anymore."

Levi suddenly laughed but the sound was frightening, not even a hint of humor in it. "You didn't even give me a goddamn chance. You were the only thing precious to me. I didn't have anybody… just you and you fucking left me!"

Eren backed against the wall, holding his breath. Levi looked at him, scoffing when he noticed the tears brimming in his eyes. But suddenly, Levi felt more sober than he had in years. He was well aware of what he was doing and how wrong it was. Eren probably thought he was crazy… maybe he was. That was no excuse to do this. Because for as much as Levi wished things had been different, he didn't want Eren to ever feel the way he felt.

"I'm sorry." He whispered when his thoughts finally calmed and he took a breath to collect himself. "You were right… I shouldn't have come."

He was only hurting himself worse and now he was hurting Eren too. Levi moved to the door, just two steps away and knew that Eren was too shaken to say anything—and that he didn't have a chance in hell of being forgiven for this.

"It might not mean anything to you… but I really do hope that you'll stay happy. Congratulations." Levi told him earnestly, even though it hurt—knowing that once and for all, he had to let Eren go. "I did… No, I do love you. So I want you to be happy."

Levi left the room then, refusing to look back even when Eren came out of the room, calling out to him. His steps were rushed as he rounded the corner and reached the elevator, pressing the button repeatedly. It was taking too long and when he heard someone running towards him, he made a last minute decision to take the stairs.

After that, Levi moved away from his hometown, settling a few hours away with new people and a new job. He had no urge to go back and he would focus on moving forward. Eventually he met a woman who was head over heels in love with him—for reasons unknown to him. But she was sweet and genuine and Levi ended up devoting himself to her. Her name was Petra and she was a wonderful wife. She blessed him with a daughter who looked just like him and after that, Levi finally found happiness. All those old demons were forgotten.

When his daughter, Macy, was just over three, Petra had taken ill. It was sudden, a strain of influenza that was taking lives by the hundreds. And she was one of the victims. Things were difficult after her death, adjusting to losing her when she'd been with him for so long. But Levi focused on Maci, who needed him just as much as he needed her and they still managed to be happy together.

A couple years passed by and it just happened to be on Maci's fifth birthday that Levi got a call he hadn't been expecting. His uncle had passed away. Levi was his only living relative, and even though he really hated the bastard, Levi wasn't above arranging his funeral. The man had few friends, but he had a lot of things Levi would have to sort through. There was also the house that would have to be sold.

Levi and Maci made the three hour trip back to his hometown, going first to the funeral home to make arrangements and then to the house. It was a heart attack that had ended the man's life. With the way he'd lived, it wasn't very shocking. Levi was downright disgusted when he entered the house. It was a mess. It was such a mess that Levi didn't want his daughter in there even for an instant. Which left him at a loss for what to do.

Since he needed time to figure out what he was going to do, Levi took Maci and checked into a hotel. They didn't do much aside from play with her Barbie dolls and lay in bed and watch tv. Maci was a sweet child who was happy all the time. She was respectful and kind, taking a lot after her mother. But she looked so much like him it was uncanny. For her to have his looks and yet be _cute. _Levi could just watch her forever and he'd smile. Because she made him happy. She was his whole world.

The next day, Levi looked around for daycares that would accept Maci for just a few days, and also be up to his standards. Which wasn't happening so easily. Levi was very particular, especially when it came to his daughter. That's why she went to the best private school he could find. It was summer now and Levi didn't have to work. Petra's family owned a research facility that Levi has started working at.

That's how he met her. It wasn't long after they were married that she inherited the company, due to her father passing away and since her death, Levi had taken over. He didn't have much choice, but it did have his benefits. When Maci didn't have school, Levi didn't go into work. Though he did have some things he had to do at home.

His first day of searching for a suitable daycare ended fruitlessly, and the following day the funeral came. Levi honestly didn't expect anyone to come, and only one of his uncles old friends did come for the viewing. When they arrived at the graveyard, Levi took a seat and Maci sat in his lap. She was quiet, cuddling close to him as a minister spoke some kind words about life and death. It reminded Levi of Petra's funeral and he wondered if Maci could remember it… he couldn't bring himself to ask though.

He'd gotten lost in thought for a while and was taken by surprise when someone suddenly sat next to him. He turned his head and his heart stopped, lips parting in surprise when he saw who it was. Eren. It was Eren, sitting right next to him. Those same eyes, but his hair was much longer and he was noticeably older. He still looked good, but Levi didn't understand. Why would he come…

There was silence as the minister finished his reading and then it was over. Levi stood up, positioning Maci on his hip and Eren followed suit. They walked to the parking lot and then stopped, studying each other for a long time.

"You look good. Thanks for coming." Levi told him simply, a soft smile pulling at his lips.

Eren smiled back, a lot bigger. "You look good too. Sorry I was late… got caught up at work and in traffic." He scratched the back of his head and then his eyes moved to Maci. "Hey, pretty girl."

"Hey." Maci smiled bashfully and buried her face in Levi's neck.

"She looks just like you." Eren commented happily and Levi nodded once in agreement. "So, you're married then?"

"I was." He said simply, mindful of Maci listening intently. He didn't really like to bring up her Mother's death. "It's just Maci and I now though."

"I see." Eren hummed in understanding.

"And you? I hope things have been well." Levi told him with sincerity and Eren laughed nervously.

"Oh well… I never ended up getting married. Actually I… no, never mind. It doesn't matter." He smiled almost sadly and Levi pondered the sudden change in his attitude before starting his car.

"Well hey… it's been a long time. Do you want to have dinner with us and catch up?"

Eren looked surprised but after a couple seconds he nodded excitedly. "Yeah. I'd love that."

Eren followed Levi and Maci to a diner in town and the three of them sat at a booth together. Maci was excited because Levi promised she could have something sweet after having dinner so she was bouncing in the seat beside him. Eren was across from them, watching with a soft smile. They ordered drinks and Levi showed Maci the simple menu and frowned upon her choice of chicken tenders and fries.

"Don't be sour, Daddy. You never cook me chicken tenders and fries." She pouted.

"Because it's so unhealthy." He grumbled but decided he'd let her have what she wanted today.

They ordered their food as soon as the waitress returned with their drinks and Levi let Maci play one of the educational apps on his phone while they were waiting. He and Eren just stared at each other for a couple minutes, both of them unable to believe that they were really sitting across from each other after so many years.

"So… I know you moved. How long will you be in town?" Eren asked thoughtfully as he moved his straw around his drink.

"We'll be here until I'm able to get Kenny's house cleaned out and ready to be sold. It's a junkyard in there so it may take me awhile. I can't let Maci in the place so I'm focusing on finding a suitable daycare for her to stay at while I do the cleaning."

"Well if Maci would be comfortable, Mikasa wouldn't mind keeping her when you need someone. She has two daughters. Six and three. They'd probably have a good time."

"Really?" Levi thought it over as he looked at his daughter who was happily playing on his phone. "Maybe that would be my best bet. Just for so many hours during the day. We'll continue to stay at the hotel so I'll just do my cleaning during whatever hours Mikasa could watch her, if she's willing. And if Maci is okay with it."

Maci just gave him a look before returning to her game and Levi chuckled before looking back to meet Eren's eyes. It was surreal—being with him after all this time. Eren had been so important to him once, so much that Levi hadn't known how to live his life without him. It wasn't easy, but he'd managed to move on. Now though, being here with him just brought back all those old memories. And the mistake he'd made on the last night they'd seen each other.

Levi wanted to ask what had happened between him and Marco. But he didn't. It didn't feel right. Their food arrived while Eren spoke more of Mikasa and her kids and then the three of them began eating. It was surprisingly nice to talk to him, more comfortable than Levi would have thought. But he supposed that it was because they'd both matured a lot since they'd last seen each other—Levi more so than Eren.

They made small talk until they finished eating and then while Maci had her dessert. Levi and Eren had been staring at each other nearly every second since they'd sat down—over an hour before. When they walked outside to leave a while later, they looked at each other again.

"Oh, give me your number and I'll have Mikasa call you." Eren said before he forgot and Levi helped Maci into the car before pulling out his wallet and handing Eren one of his business cards, since it did have his cell number on it as well. "Thanks. And I would like to help you… if you'll let me."

"With the house?" Levi asked with furrowed brows. "That's not really necessary."

"Doesn't matter. I just want to do it."

Levi didn't understand, but he found that he couldn't refuse him.

So the next day, they all met at Mikasa's and Levi was glad to see how excited Maci was to play with her daughters. He wasn't worried, the home was clean aside from some toys scattered around and those kids were obviously happy. Mikasa has always been overprotective back when Eren was younger and she didn't seem to have changed.

Eren and Levi went to Kenny's house together and got to work. The first thing they had to do was actually clean up, and they ended up with several bags of trash alone they they had to take out. The dishes seemed endless, clothes were another matter and the whole place just smelled so bad Levi was trying all day not to gag.

After several hours of cleaning without finishing, they decided to call it a day. And they hadn't even finished with the living room and kitchen. Of course, Levi was very serious about his cleaning and if it wasn't perfect, he wasn't happy. They were both filthy after the long day of cleaning and Levi missed his daughter. It was time to get cleaned and rest up so they could go back at it the next day.

They were engrossed in the task of cleaning, any talking between them being related to the job—at least for the first few days. They did one room at a time, and the last they entered was Levi's old room. When they walked in, Levi's eyes went wide and his lips parted at finding it exactly how he'd left it. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, but otherwise, it was the same.

"Whoa… it's so… god we have a lot of memories in this room."

Levi hummed at Eren's words. "Yeah…" Levi remember those days, but he also remembered all the days he sat in that bed, alone and miserable.

"Oh, shit!" Eren laughed and hopped over to the dresser, picking up an old picture frame and dusting it off with the rag that had been in his back pocket. "I can't believe this… it's so good to see a picture of us… I—well I lost all mine. You haven't changed at all. You look exactly the same."

Levi walked over to take a look at the picture as well and he felt his heart flutter. Seeing Eren so happy go lucky and then his younger self, so impassive and yet perfectly content… it made him happy.

"What happened to them?" Levi asked after a moment and Eren looked at him curiously.

"What?"

"The pictures."

"Oh." Eren's face fell. "Marco… when he found them, he… he destroyed them all."

Levi was surprised. "Wow. That was a little extreme."

Eren nodded solemnly and sighed. "Well you didn't know him. Marco was more possessive and jealous in a very unhealthy way. He was good to me otherwise but I couldn't take it. I did try… until he found out about you visiting me that night. It wasn't good."

So Levi was the one to blame… it sounded about right. "I'm sorry…" Levi told him sincerely as they looked at each other. "It was a mistake. I never should have gone there that night."

"No." Eren shook his head. "You should have never left me."

Levi's lips parted as he was taken aback by those words and then Eren moved his free hand to the back of Levi's head, leaned in and kiss him. It was far from sweet or chaste—instead it was a kiss filled with desperation and longing. Levi's own hands had raised to Eren's head, fisting into his hair as he met his lips heatedly. Teeth clashing and frantic breaths mingling, the two held fast and tight to each other as they kissed, lips molding together with a perfection that was nothing short or sinful, tongues connecting and moving against against each other—sending a wave of pleasure through them with every slick caress.

Eren's hands trailed down, taking purchase on Levi's chest where he fisted his shirt. As Eren slowed, Levi took the wheel, his kisses nearly aggressive and Eren struggled to keep up. Levi could feel him melting and though he never wanted the moment to end, he pulled away so the both of them could breathe. They clung to each other, breathless and at a loss for the way they felt. Neither of them could believe what had just happened.

"Levi… I—"

"Just don't say anything." Levi whispered and rested his forehead against Eren's shoulder, closing his eyes as he breathed. "Can we just…"

"Start over?" Eren supplied suggestively and Levi smiled softly.

"Yes. I don't think it's too late."

"I want that too."

They stood there for the longest time, just holding each other and thinking about what was to come. Maybe things wouldn't be easy, but they'd both loved each other all their lives and finally, they had a chance. They both wanted it and neither of them were willing to pass it up. Not this time.


End file.
